Chapter 16 A Special Opening Ceremony
1686 Words
Everything was ready.
The opening ceremony of Lingyin College was scheduled for August 5th.
The grand square was built to Mu Qianmei's design, consisting of three basketball courts surrounded by a track, and the track was circled by sycamore trees transplanted from elsewhere.
Limited by technology, the current basketball was very crude. Even so, it entertained students and exercised their bodies.
The campus also had facilities for the long jump - a track and a jumping pit.
Facilities for the high jump - two supports, a bar, and a thick cushion.
The square resembled a high school playground in her previous life.
The college had three large teaching buildings - traditional two-story wooden buildings with red paint, carved railings, and roofs made of encaustic tiles.
Each floor of the teaching building was a row of four classrooms, thus, a building had eight classrooms, and the college had 24 classrooms in total.
Three teaching buildings formed a "U" shape, and the mouth of the "U" was a tall and beautiful red gate.
The gate had a semiarc-shaped top, on which sat a golden copper ball, shinning under the sun.
There were two words on the semiarc - Lingyin College.
A pair of couplets were hung on both sides of the gate.
The left roll read, "Named after the mountain and making it prosperous, this college will stand for ages."
The right read, "Supported by the principle and carrying it forward, students here are talents of today."
On both sides of the copper ball were two flying phoenixes, heading towards the ball as if they were frolicking with it.
To the gate stood two smaller two-story wooden buildings. The left one was the library, the right one was the teachers' office.
The dormitory buildings, which were added later, were behind the three main teaching buildings and had just been completed.
Behind the middle teaching building was the faculty dormitory, behind the left teaching building was the male dormitory, and behind the right was the female dormitory.
According to college regulations, both boys and girls could receive education here.
The campus was surrounded by a two-meter-high wood fence with many sharp spikes like spearheads, adding anti-theft function to this beautiful fence.
Shaded by trees, the exquisite buildings in the campus were neat and clean. The whole campus looked like a garden.
Mu Qianmei stood beside the railing on the second floor of the middle teaching building, looking at the campus built to her design. She felt proud and a bit pity - if only they had electricity. A college equipped with electricity appliances and network facilities would be perfect.
Feng Tianyu made time to come to Lingyin College today.
He looked at this large and beautiful campus and praised, "You are really something! Even those royal colleges are not so elegant and magnificent as ours, I guess?"
He came over and saw the expression of pity on Mu Qianmei's face. He asked, "Don't you think it's enough?"
"Of course. There's a lot of space for improvement. Well, it's enough for now. Let's make do with it. We can improve it when we have better resources. Oh, it's rare to see you free to attend the opening ceremony of Lingyin College." Mu Qianmei smiled.
"Anyway, it's the opening ceremony of our first college. Of course I should, the g**g master, be here." Feng Tianyu laughed.
The little girl he brought up wore a countenance of calmness as if she had experienced many vicissitudes of life. Feng Tianyu looked at her face and began to think.
He brought her up by himself and never left her for a day, so how did her change come about?
Feng Tianyu was delighted to see the change, but he also felt it strange somehow.
"Well, so be it. She has a long way to go and the change is good for her."
Feng Tianyu comforted himself.
The sun rose from the east, dying the sky with rosy clouds, and bathing the whole Yugu Continent in the sunlight.
Lingyin College in the dawn also exhibited its vitality.
In front of the middle teaching building was a small stage with a height of about 1.5 meters and an area of about 60 square meters.
There were steps to the left and right of the stage, in front of which was the empty square.
In the middle of the front of the stage stood a 20-meter--high flagpole, to which tied a rope. There was no flag on the top of the flagpole yet.
The opening ceremony of the college was scheduled to begin at nine o'clock.
It was already eight o'clock.
Many disciples of the Beggar g**g were busy preparing in the square.
In front of the stage were rows of flowerpots planted with yellow chrysanthemums.
The auditorium was made up of neat rows of wooden benches.
The first row of benches was set for the guests and about 20 desks were placed before this row.
On the desks were porcelain teacups with orchids and each seat a small rectangular board, on which was written the name of the guest.
As time went by, more and more people came to the square.
"Wow, how beautiful the campus is!"
Almost every visitor exclaimed.
Then they walked and looked around.
They praised the place wherever they went.
When it was nearly nine o'clock, visitors gradually settled into the seats in the square.
They had a heated discussion in their seats.
The leaders and teachers in the front rows sat according to their names on the boards.
Some of them were very old and white-haired.
Some were only in their 20s or 30s.
The age of the students was even more uneven. The youngest of them were only five or six years old, but the oldest were in their 20s.
People quieted down when Zhuang Shujun, wearing a white robe, walked onto the stage.
Many people knew that the principal was the Elder Wang of the Beggar g**g.
However, nobody had seen him, and this made him mysterious.
The vice-principal Zhuang Shujun surfaced in a high frequency. He had been famous for his civil and martial virtues before holding the post of vice master of the Beggar g**g, so many people knew him.
He became the most famous person in the college.
Many people privately believed that all this came from Zhuang Shujun's operation.
Zhuang Shujun didn't explain.
He undertook the reputation of versatility.
This was Mu Qianmei's requirement, and Fengtian Yu agreed.
In fact, Zhuang Shujun did not know whose idea was this.
It couldn't be the g**g master. Working with Feng Tianyu for such a long time, Zhuang Shujun knew that the g**g master was too busy with affairs of the Beggar g**g every day to have time and energy to deal with the college.
Nor could it be Elder Wang. Zhuang Shunjun knew Elder Wang's identity. Elder Wang was an expert only in specific fields, so, he didn't have so much miscellaneous knowledge and fantastic ideas.
Nor the old Taoist priest. The old Taoist priest had a broad knowledge of astronomy and geography, but he was not familiar with economy, literature, and music.
Many people said that textbooks are the results of mutual discussion and collective researches.
Perhaps there were many editors putting their heads together.
However, Zhuang Shujun, the vice-principal, was not in the group of editors.
Zhuang Shujun still has a lot of doubts, but Feng Tianyu did not tell him, so he remained silent.
He knew that Feng Tianyu had a reason, and the g**g master would tell him when the time was ripe.
Therefore, he took the position as the vice principal of Lingyin College in a fog.
He undertook all the reputation in a fog.
And went onto the stage today, also in a fog.
Well... Where ignorance was bliss, it was folly to be wise.
Zhuang Shujun stood on the stage, smiling.
After the audience quieted down, he said,
"Distinguished guests, friends, and new students, good morning!"
"Today is a very important day because Lingyin College holds its first opening ceremony on this sunny autumn day."
"I am Zhuang Shujun, the vice master of the Beggar g**g. I have been appointed by g**g master Feng to serve as the vice-principal of Lingyin College."
"Principal Wang cannot attend today's opening ceremony for some reason. Therefore, I will preside over today's opening ceremony."
"To tell the truth, I have no experience in managing a college. I wish to get the strong support from colleagues and the friendly cooperation of students."
"Before the speech, let's begin the Flag Raising Ceremony of Lingyin College."
"Please Mo Siyuan and Shen Donglin bring up the school flag."
Then, two spruce students came. They were about 16 or 17 years old, dressed in cyan, holding a white flag together, and stepping up the stage from the left side.
Some people recognized that they were the two students looking on at Lanjing Royal College.
They came over and stopped at the flagpole. Then they untied the rope on the pole and tied it to two corners of the flag.
And then, a 12- or 13-year-old girl in blue came up to the stage from the right steps.
Her skirt fluttered, and her footsteps were light. She looked like a butterfly.
"Oh, I know her! She is adopted by g**g Master Feng. Her name is Mu Qianmei, and her nickname is Little Butterfly." Someone said excitedly.
"She is Miss Little Butterfly! I have heard that this little girl is pretty. She really lives up to her reputation. A lovely child indeed!"
Someone exclaimed.
On the right side of the stage was a delicate and archaic mahogany guqin.
As a famous singer and an ancient literature lover, Mu Qianmei was fond of the guqin and had an excellent guqin foundation.
For the flag-raising ceremony, she chose a fast and passionate piece of music - General's Order.
The flag hoister had tied the flag to the rope. After the music began, they unfurled the flag in the wind and tossed it into the air...
A fine flag was displayed before the audience.
- Writer
